This past week was probably one of the slowest on the sports calendar. Maybe most of us should have just taken a vacation, rather than try to wring water from a stone. But it was also the week baseball players began to report for spring training, so with little else to talk about, that got a few radio stations and podcasts calling me up.

That includes my debut on ESPN Upstate, the ESPN Radio affiliate in Greenville, S.C. I don't know if that will result in a regular gig or not (and might depend on how much people want to talk about the Atlanta Braves), but it's always fun to talk to someone new, especially when it's practically a local show. Here are some audio links, if you'd like to listen:

-- Sylvester Stallone will probably be the best moment of the 2016 Oscars, if — when — he wins Best Supporting Actor and gets a great victory lap for his career. [NY Times]

-- "How does TMZ get this stuff?" The deep network of sources the tabloid site has built up, largely with generous payouts for tips and leaks, is impressive. "Everybody rats everybody else out." [New Yorker]

-- During a time when we see as divided politically as ever, the friendship between Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg could teach us some lessons about respecting one another's views. [Washington Post]

-- I've been a longtime fan of John Dickerson for his work at Slate, which has always been thoughtful, insightful and witty. Glad to see him get his moment as host of CBS' Face the Nation during this election. [NY Times]

-- Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham have been doing great work for ESPN, the latest example being this account of the Rams moving back to Los Angeles. [ESPN The Magazine]

-- I go back and forth on Matt Taibbi, respecting his boldness and aggressiveness while also cringing because he seems to enjoy being a jerk. But he has some great points about fans and media caring about sports more than politics and current events. [The Cauldron]